In a different timeline, Buffalo Bills fans wouldn’t be accosted about wearing clothing that is supportive of former President Donald Trump.
And that’s because Trump very nearly bought the Bills in 2014, and there are no clear NFL rules prohibiting fans from wearing clothing that’s supportive of an owner.
In the timeline Americans currently occupy, Buffalo Bills fans are being accosted about wearing pro-Trump clothes — and it’s all thanks to some nebulous by-laws the NFL entrusts to each franchise.
TYLER BASS 61-YARD FIELD GOAL WITH 5 SECONDS LEFT. pic.twitter.com/PZWTOebKnJ
— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024
The Buffalo Bills pulled off a clutch 30-27 win over its AFC East rivals, the Miami Dolphins, on Sunday, thanks to a 61-yard field goal from kicker Tyler Bass.
The big kick was obviously cause for celebration, as it sent the Bills to an AFC East-best 7-2, while the Fins tumbled to 2-6. But it’s not clear if every member of the Bills Mafia was celebrating the win.
And that’s because at least one Bills fan appeared to have been harassed by team security over the fan’s choice of apparel.
The Erie County (where Buffalo is located) GOP shared a viral clip of the incident in question, which took place in Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium:
WIDE LEFT!
Buffalo Bills security telling a fan he can’t wear a Trump T-shirt at the game? What a joke!
If anyone knows this proud Trump supporter, send us a message – we’d love to hook him up with some Trump gear! pic.twitter.com/CK6nWyfL48
— Erie County GOP (@ErieCountyGOP) November 3, 2024
“WIDE LEFT!” the Erie County GOP quipped, in a reference to one of the more painful Super Bowl losses in Bills history. “Buffalo Bills security telling a fan he can’t wear a Trump T-shirt at the game?
“What a joke!”
The viral clip included what appeared to be bickering over the actual policy on political shirts being worn at NFL games.
“It’s an NFL policy that he cannot wear his Trump shirt in the first row,” one man is heard saying.
“One hundred percent false!” another man chimed in.
Another man exclaimed, “We’re in a free country!”
The first man, who appeared to be the tattletale, ultimately appeared to win the squabble, as the Trump-supporting Bills fan was told by the security guard that he cannot wear anything political in the front row.
The security guard even shrugged his shoulders as if there’s nothing he could do.
But did the Trump supporter actually break any rules?
According to the Bills’ own rules set aside for stadium conduct … It doesn’t appear so.
Listing out what Bills’ staffers will “proactively enforce,” there is a little bullet point about clothing.
“Wearing obscene, offensive, or indecent clothing,” the list said, is a punishable offense. Given that the Trump supporter’s shirt simply stated “Trump 2024” and “Keep America First,” it’s not clear what rules he ran afoul of.
(As Fox News noted, however, it’s unclear if the NFL has a separate set of rules for fans who sit in the front row. While the NFL makes many of its rules — especially those that pertain to staff and players — readily available, fan conduct rules are notoriously hard to come by since they are generally crafted on a team-by-team basis.)
That all being said, it’ll be fascinating to see what the Bills allow/disallow when it next hosts a game on Nov. 17 — against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, no less.
The presidential election will likely be resolved by that point, which means half the country will be ecstatic, while the other half will be apoplectic — making the game rife for all manner of emotionally charged political statements.
Before that, the Bills travel to face the frisky Indianapolis Colt on Sunday.
